Why Is Obama Caving on Taxes? — The discouraging thing about the “fiscal cliff” negotiations is not that they have gone into the eleventh hour, or that they may go into the new year, or even that they won't resolve the long-term budget deficit. It's that President Obama has retreated on his hard line on taxes.

Kill This Deal … Dear House and Senate Democrats, — Your president has sold you out. A deal will likely be announced today canceling the scheduled income-tax increase on all family income below $450,000, instead of the promised $250,000 threshold, which was already too high.

Finally, a “fiscal cliff” breakthrough — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says any potential deal will have to include a tax hike on the upper 2 percent of income earners. But Geithner says the biggest obstacle is Republicans who refuse to budge. Anna Werner reports on how close the parties are in reaching a deal.

Let's Give Up on the Constitution — AS the nation teeters at the edge of fiscal chaos, observers are reaching the conclusion that the American system of government is broken. But almost no one blames the culprit: our insistence on obedience to the Constitution, with all its archaic, idiosyncratic and downright evil provisions.

How the ‘Dairy Cliff’ Will Cream Consumers — Got milk? Enjoy the price you paid, because federal policy, reaching its sell-by date, will have dire results. — If the price of milk zooms up shortly after Jan. 1, the increase will come courtesy of a venal and feckless U.S. Congress.

Republican party is ‘devoid of a soul’, says Jon Huntsman — The Republican Party is leaderless and “devoid of a soul” but can rebuild in the wake of its election defeat if it embraces its history of supporting limited government, according to Jon Huntsman. — Republican presidential candidate, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman

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